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The Odd Party
'Shin, Two Weeks Ago' “There’s nothing we can do,” the two healers said as the came out into the hall to address the dying man’s son. “He doesn’t respond to medicine or magic. He just keeps fading away like he’s dying of old age. But…” “He sure as hell doesn’t look that old,” Shin said, finishing their thought. The two healers looked at each other uncomfortably as if there was something they couldn’t say. Ultimately they simply nodded in response. “He wants to talk to you one last time. I’m not sure exactly what he wants to say, but… just listen to him carefully. Ok, Shin?” “Right…” he said and he walked into his father’s room. A whispery voice called out from the ailing man as his son entered his chamber, “come close, I can’t speak loudly anymore.” “Is this where you tell a bunch of secrets you’ve kept from me my whole life.” Shin asked with an irritated sarcasm. The father let out a weak laugh that caused him to slightly wince from pain. “Hehh… If I was going to do that, I would have a long time ago. Besides, I don’t have enough to cover any of that. No, I simply realized I can’t stop you from going out to sea anymore so I want you to make me three promises and in exchange I’ll give you something that will help you out there in the world.” Shin nodded but when a moment passed with his father remaining silent he realized the man couldn’t see properly anymore and finally spoke up, “ok, what are they.” The father tried to lift his arm to point at something but was force to give up letting out an exhausted sigh. “First, in closet with you mother old things, it has a fake floor. My old equipment is hidden under there, but the important thing is the small wooded jewelry box. Take the small piece of metal in there. It will grant you power when you find something you want to protect. That is my gift to you.” “And the promises?” Shin asked. “First, lay me to rest next to the tree we planted over your mother’s grave. Leave no other marker. Second, there is a second item in that jewelry box, a potato like instrument I’ve wrapped in cloth. Leave it in the box and bury it with me. Tell no one what it is. Finally…” The next evening “Is it just me, or are there more stars out tonight?” Shin asked his girlfriend Katsumi when he heard her approaching from behind. The girl sat down beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, “It’s a new moon tonight, plus there’s less light out here on the beach.” “No, you’re suppose to say something like, ‘It’s the heaven’s welcoming your old man.’” Shin said in protest. “I figured he’d by annoyed if I did.” Katsumi answered causing both to break out into a teary laugh. Afterward to two sat slightly on the beach looking up and the stars and listening to the gently movement of the waves. “Hey Kat,” Shin finally said, “the old man made me promise him something right before he died. He told me if I’m going to leave this island that I’d have to leave as soon as his buried. So, tomorrow when the next ship comes.” “Wait what no! That’s too soon,” she said as she jumped up in surprise, “I need more time than that to prepare. Plus I’m not done with my studies yet.” “That’s the point,” he said regrettably. “He told me I can’t bring you with me until you master you summoning magic, or until I get this weird piece of metal he gave me to turn into some kind of protection weapon or something.” Katsumi remained silent for a moment letting her anger stew until she decided to blame who she thought was the obvious culprit. “My mom put him up to this, didn’t she?” “If it was your mom I would have been told to run away and never speak to you again,” Shin said trying not to laugh. “No, I’m pretty sure my old man came up with this himself. Though I think your grandfather gave him the idea for the conditions.” “Oh, damn Jiji, this is his pay back for skipping lessons with him join your sword practice.” She paused before finally letting out a shout, “Fine! One month!” Shin responded with a simple, “Eh?” “Give me one month, and I’ll figure out how to summon one of the greater elemental beasts. Then Jiji will have to graduate me and I’ll come find you. So don’t you dare run too far ahead. Got it?” Katsumi declared. Shin smiled, “Got it. Don’t worry; I doubt you’ll miss much fun.” Day 1, Great Sea “FIRE!” boomBoomBOOM! The deafening eruption of the cannons was dwarfed only by the Gunnery Chiefs roaring commands, “LOAD SHOT!” “Hey pick up the pace new guy,” the Gunners Mate yelled as Shin struggled to keep pace with the loaders on the other two guns. As the large iron ball fell into the barrel he took his position at the guns base just in time for the next order. “ONE LEFT! TWO DOWN! LOAD BOMB!” “Two down? Are the closing that–” Shin thoughts were cut off as the third order came and he needed to quickly cover his ears. “FIRE!” boomBoomBOOM! “LOAD SHOT!” Shin moved as quickly as he could to load the next shot and get in position for the next adjustment. However instead of the speedy orders there was an eerie silence until Gunnery Chief popped his head above deck. A moment later the Chief was barking with ever greater urgency. “GET THOSE BOMBS TO THE BALLAST TANKS THEN GET YOU’RE ASSES ON DECK WITH A FIRE BUCKET! AND BE READY FOR A BOARDING WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!” A swirl of smoke and panic had consumed the upper deck by the time Shin made it top side. The pirates had catapulted over a flaming barrel of pitch and oil in successful attempt set their sails ablaze. The hard efforts of the crew were able to snuff the flames, but pirates true goal had already succeed. They had been slowed to a halt, and now the pirate ship was bearing down on them and about to ram. “BRACE!” Someone shouted a moment before the two wooded hulls smashed into each other. Shin among those who were to slow to react and were knock down. He was quick back to his feet though and readied his blades for the inevitable boarding. This would finally be the kind of fight he was use to. 'Ethan Chiaria, The Middle of the Sea, Day 1' It was the ice cold water that shocked Ethan awake. Third time in two months he’d woken up in the middle of nowhere, though the last two times had at least had the decency to be on land. His eyelids fought the whole way, but victorious, Ethan took in his surroundings. It was ocean alright. Except for the giant ship he appeared to be stuck to. “Oh okay.” Ethan mumbled, finally realizing why he couldn’t move. He was strapped to the side of the boat as waves were repeatedly crashing over his entire body. He reached out telepathically on a secure wavelength, as secure as he could make them. It wasn’t exactly science, or science at all. (“Liah did you make it yet? How can Twins recinarnate this far apart? I’m speaking to a manager about this.”) With nobody around to hear his joke, Ethan still managed to chuckle at himself. It was the only reaction to his present situation that maintained sanity. (“Okay well whenever you get here, maybe you can tell me why we reincarnate as adults. I thought this was supposed to be a rebirth, new life kind of thing. Not just poof now fight pirates don’t worry about relearning basic motor skills or anything. Not that I need to.”) Even self entertainment couldn’t keep Ethan distracted for long. He focused his senses in on the crew of the ship, picking up their thoughts immediately. Urgency and excitement was the theme of the day. The ship was preparing to intercept and fire on another. Not a situation one wants to be tied to the boat for. It was an especially eerie circumstance given the absolute lack of shouting. The entire crew was telepathic, that much was immediately evident to Ethan. Either that or they were experts at shout whispering. Ethan still had a hundred questions about how someone was even able to overpower him so easily. The hole in his memory worried him. Ethan focused his mind on the bindings that bolted him to the ship exterior. One by one they snapped apart, leaving him attached by just one arm. Loosening the remaining binding he swung himself upright, vaulting up the side of the ship. Being stuck near the back of the ship on the port side, most of his view was obstructed, but Ethan managed to spot a glimpse at the spirit tracks in the distance. He also heard the distinct whistle of a train coming in from the open sea rail system, a railway that extended from The Great Sea several hundred miles north towards New Hyrule, where it eventually stopped at an open ocean seaport transfer station. “No time to lose.” Ethan pulled himself up onto the deck of the ship just as it came up upon two other ships. Pirates firing on an unknown vessel. But not completely unknown, as Ethan sensed a familiar presence on the ship being attacked. “Shin?” Ethan muttered under his breath, sensing the presence at the perimeter of his reach. He’d known the kid for years, but hadn’t seen him in months. It was unfortunately that moment when Ethan was finally noticed by the crew. It was a rather impressively diverse cast of Zora, Rito, and Hylians, all with masks covering their faces and overly heavy looking armor for their present location. Except one. “You.” The voice was guttural, submerged in tone. “The Empress will turn you.” Each word struggled out, suffocating Ethans ears. “You mean Vera?” Ethan asked. “She didn’t mention you, I figured I would be getting her best.” The Zora stepped forward, and Ethan realized his perception of her had been distorted. She towered over him, ten feet tall, and instead of armor had several layers of natural scales. He’d never seen any Zora like her, but it was most definitely a Zora, jagged spikes on the fins and all. Ethan tried to scan her mind, and was met with a piercing shriek that deterred him instantly “She has consumed countless others just like you.” Ethan held up a hand to interrupt the Zora. “Seriously, name first or I’m not hanging around for this rant. I assure you, I am Vera’s equal, not yours.” Ethan was not a particular imposing looking individual, but even the Zora felt the weight in his warning. “Quelura.” She snarled, truly surprising Ethan. Most of the time these commander types didn’t play along. It was refreshingly different. What was less refreshing was the alarming speed at which Quelura moved after stating her name. Before Ethan could comprehend it, she had grappled and forced him to the ground. Looking satisfied she had dealt with the situation, Quelura turned to bark orders at her crew. “Hold him!” The louder she spoke, the harder it was to think. Listening to her talk felt like drowning. Struggling to overcome the feeling, Ethan was easily restrained by the rest of the crew. He watched in partial awe and mostly confusion as Quelura reared back and extended out two massive wings. Rito wings. She launched herself with so much force Ethan half expected the ship to collapse in on itself. The ship held, but Quelura’s target didn’t. Descending upon the pirate ship, a glowing purple aura surrounded her as she slammed into its deck. Ethan composed himself as he watched the fallout of the strike. Everything he had expected to happen to the ship he was on, was now the fate of the pirates. Those in the immediate vicinity of the strike were crushed, and the rest were panicking and looking for ways off the doomed vessel. Half of it was already under the sea, and the other half would only be in a worse situation if on fire. Fittingly, that was the final touch on the act. As Quelura launched back to her own ship, the purple aura turned bright red, setting the pirate ship aflame. She ignored the few pirates that had made it to escape boats. Ethan knew when someone was sending a message. And that meant Quelura had to know what his next move would be. “I’ve seen enough.” Ethan stood up, from his point of view, rather casually. Quelura’s crew seemed to find the event more extreme, as each one was launched off the ship into the water. “Quelura, I’m honored that Vera chose you to keep track of me. Next time, let’s not beat around the bush. Also I’m definitely going to need to know why you left me alive and tied me to the ship. But we both know that conversation won’t happen today.” Ethan snapped his fingers, teleporting off Quelura’s ship and onto Shin’s. “Hi Shin.” Ethan waved to his friend. “Funny running into you here. Don’t worry they are just leaving.” Ethan pointed to Quelura’s ship, which had picked up its dunked crew and started heading off north at too high a speed to pursue. “Sorry to drop in like this. I may need your help tracking someone down.” 'Bingbang Bongbang, The Great Sea, Day 1' The ocean. Vast. Wide. Empty. A gentle lapping of waves and the whistling of a light breeze. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG The silence of the sea is sharply interrupted by a small raft, shoddy in it’s craft with a large pair of stolen underpants functioning as it’s sail. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG A sole occupant sits impatiently upon her vessel. Her throat dry and silenced from singing, no, screaming, to the beats she slams down on her bright red drum as her feet dangle in the salty water below. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG If not for the chaotic drumbeat, the loudest sound would be the low rumbling of the Bokoblin’s stomach, empty and craving some flesh, or hell, even a vegetable would be good right now.. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Most creatures would be frustrated to die alone in the great blue void but Bingbang Bongbang aimlessly floats with a wide smile on her face, confident that her story wouldn’t end here as she glares out to the open horizon, knowing it won’t remain empty forever. 'Mistral, Great Sea, Day 1' BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG "That poor guy is gonna die, huh, Bise?" BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Mistral lay stomach-down, mystically supported on what for all appearances was a small cloud. Her head was propped on her hands, staring down at the only thing of interest on the ocean today. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Wait, was Bise... mimicking the drum? Stupid cloud... "That's not very nice, you know..." BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG The drumming was as loud as it had ever been, but... slower. Definitely gonna die. BANG ... BANG ... BANG ... BANG ... BANG "Okay, okay, Bise. Yeah. I get it. You can stop pestering me." Mistral rolled to the side, shoving a hand into one of her travel sacks. She pulled out a few chunks of dried fish and bounced them on her palm. "Not much, I guess... but I can always fish up some more." An errant wisp of Bise drifting off in the light breeze. Sarcastic collection of vapor... BANG ... ... BANG ... ... BANG ... ... BANG ... ... ... BANG Mistral smirked at Bise. Sarcastic or not, it would be fun... She dropped the dried fish, and it sunk right through the cloud which solidly supported her weight. Down, down down.... BANG-THUNK-THUNK! The dried fish landed on the bokoblin's drum. Mistral suppressed a giggle and hid behind Bise, watching through the cloud wisps. 'Bingbang Bongbang, The Great Sea, Day 1' BANG-THUNK-THUNK! And with that, the silent peace of the ocean finally returned for a moment, Bingbang’s wide bloodshot eyes staring onto her drum before ecstatically screeching with joy. “YEESSSS! YEEEEESSSSS! I DID IT! MAGIC! IT’S REAL AND I DID IT!” The hungry Bokoblin paused for a short moment to wolf down the fish she had summoned, shovelling it down her gullet in one quick bite. “But what do I call it…” She pondered quietly to herself “The song of fish… no, that sucks… the song of hunger… what if it works for… MORE THAN JUST FOOD?!?! THE SONG OF SUMMONING!!!” BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Focusing hard on the ocean before her and imagining a boat on the wide horizon as she drummed, eyes squinted as if to try and force something into existence. Belief in her newfound powers outweighing any logic or reason. 'Shin, Day 1, Great Sea' Steel clashed against steel as the sailors all struggled to subdue the pirate that had come aboard. Shin had his mind set on jumping over to the other ship and attacking them on their own turf, but the chaos of crowded deck was making that difficult. Suddenly, in an instant, it was all over. Someone, something, had appear out of nowhere, destroyed the pirate ship then zipped back to where it came from. For a moment everyone stopped and starred in awe at the sinking wreckage, but slowing, they all started to remember there was still a battle at hand. Shin quickly turned back towards his current opponent but found the man had already dropped is weapons and thrown up his hands. “Hey look man; I just signed on to whatever ship offered the best pay. If it’s all the same, I’m happy to surrender and keep my head.” “Yeah screw this,” another pirate yelled out, “I’m only here because these guys shanghaied me.” Most of the pirates quickly threw down their weapons and surrendered. One of them made a blow-hearted attempt at rallying everyone to keep fighting going and take the ship, but a quick thinking officer slashed the man’s arm open then kicked him over board. Everyone looked on in horror as a school of Gyrog, attracted by the blood, encircled the pirate and tore him to pieces. The captain took this moment to shout down from the poop deck, “Any man who surrenders and signs on to complete our voyage wage free will be pardoned. Anyone else, well feel free to jump in and try to swim to you mates in the life boats. Your call. “Hi Shin.” Ethan waved as he appeared out of nowhere. “Funny running into you here. Don’t worry they are just leaving.” Ethan said, pointing to the ship the thing had come from. “Sorry to drop in like this. I may need your help tracking someone down.” Shin looked at his magically appearing friend. He looked back towards the insanity around him and then looked back towards Ethan, “Yeah, sure, sounds fun.” 'Ethan, Shin’s Ship, Morning 1' Ethan felt like Shin was oddly agreeable, but then again there was no reason for him to be anything else. “Listen Shin, I’m not sure you realize what I’m actually asking. I- Agh!” Ethan gripped his head as a piercing migraine dropped him to his knees. A deep ringing noise in the back of his head complemented the headache, and some sort of gurgling whisper hid just underneath the pain. He focused as hard as he could. Short-term effects...Prepare....Head...Resolves on its own… Though Ethan could only make out fragments, he quickly realized he was hearing a telepathic seed, a reminder someone else had planted in Ethan’s mind for him to remember as needed. The headaches were part of the reincarnation process. “Ethan!” He heard Shin yelling his name. Realizing his eyes had been shut tightly, Ethan opened them and saw that the ship was in a completely different part of the Great Sea. A relaxed mixture of panic and confusion swept over the crew as everyone looked around for something to blame. For the moment, Ethan thought it best not to tell the crew that the random teleport was a symptom of a man recovering from recent reincarnation. Not a contagious affliction, but he very much doubted that would be the primary concern of the crew. It would be okay to tell Shin, but only when they were somewhere more private. “Ethan?” Shin’s voice was normal again. He was a smart kid, smart enough to suspect something. Ethan gave him a look that suggested silence was best, and then proceeded to join in the confusion of the rest of the group. “I don’t know.” Ethan gripped his head as the piercing noise returned. But this time he wasn’t having reincarnation sickness, as others on the ship seemed to hear the banging noise too. A random crew member shouted out the cause first. “There!” And there indeed was the source of the noise. A bokoblin very enthusiastically banging on a drum. Ethan sighed and turned to Shin. “You sure you still want to join me on this adventure?” 'Bingbang Bongbang, The Great Sea, Day 1' BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Poof After some time of intent staring and vivid focus, the unexpected happened. She did it. Bingbang Bongbang had mastered the song of summoning and not only summoned a ship but a full crew to go with it. This day truly was going well for her. “HOLY SHIT IT WORKS! I AM A GOD AMONG PATHETIC MORTALS!” A gravelly yet feminine shrieking came from the small raft, now appearing clearly pathetic next to a real ship, the Bokoblin aboard delving into incoherent yet clearly arrogant noises while erratically slamming her drumsticks down in celebration. “YOU THERE, MINIONS OF MINE, TOSS ME A ROPE FOR I AM YOUR SUMMONER, I HAVE CALLED YOU HERE AND YO-” Her voice cutting off as swords and bows were drawn “...or just, hey, we can be friends, lets be friends here my dudes, it’s all good, no need for any killin’ y’know? You scratch my back, i’ll scratch yours, that kind of thing…please?” Came a slightly more humbled rambling from a creature with quite literally nowhere to run after taking a little too long to realise that despite her newfound magic she may be out of her depth. 'Mistral, The Great Sea, Day 1' “YEESSSS! YEEEEESSSSS! I DID IT! MAGIC! IT’S REAL AND I DID IT!” Mistral giggled at the silly little Boko as it quickly devoured the first of dried fish... and got right back to banging on that noisy drum. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Mistral bobbed her head side-to-side with every beat of the drum. Bise drifted in disapproval. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG Mwerp. A full galleon suddenly manifested in the Great Ocean right before the small raft. “HOLY SHIT IT WORKS! I AM A GOD AMONG PATHETIC MORTALS!” Mistral blinked a few times. Yeah, sure, the Boko saw it, too, but maybe there was a mass-hallucination caused by aural trauma... Nope, still there. "Huh..." Mistral refocused as the crew of the ship gained their senses and trained arrows on the Boko. "Uh-oh..." Bise wafted. "Yeah." She guided the cloud down toward the ship, hoping to spare undue death. "Hey! Whoa, hey there! Hi! Hey... Yeah. Let's not act too rashly, huh? Like, you know, a single little beat-building Boko-buddy isn't bad to a big barge of boisterous boaters like yourselves! Plus, like, poor thing's starving to death and OH HEY WAIT IS THAT ETHAN HOW ARE YOU I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN AGES?!?" 'Shin, Day 1, Great Sea' After the botched teleportation Ethan sighed and turned to Shin. “You sure you still want to join me on this adventure?” Shin smiled, “Come on man, you know I’ve been dreaming of going on an adventure like this since I was little, so of course I’m game. Plus, I had to leave Katsumi behind, so going with you means I’m still with a friend.” “YOU THERE, MINIONS OF MINE, TOSS ME A ROPE FOR I AM YOUR SUMMONER, I HAVE CALLED YOU HERE AND YO-” the bokoblin yelled out, but cut her decree short once she notice the plethora of bows pointing at her. “We should probably do something about that before things get out of hand,” Shin sighed As if by the hand of a trickster god, the second Shin uttered those words a woman riding a cloud appeared out of nowhere before the already tense crew. "Hey! Whoa, hey there! Hi! Hey... Yeah. Let's not act too rashly, huh? Like, you know, a single little beat-building Boko-buddy isn't bad to a big barge of boisterous boaters like yourselves! Plus, like, poor thing's starving to death and OH HEY WAIT IS THAT ETHAN HOW ARE YOU I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN AGES? Shin looked up at the mysterious cloud woman, then at the crew whose eyes were now fixed Ethan and himself, then finally back to Ethan. “So, ex-girlfriend or..?” 'Ethan, Shin’s Ship, Day 1' Wait a minute, resurrection sickness? I was resurrected years ago… Ethan struggled with his own memories. Having resurrection sickness with the actual resurrection being years before simply did not happen. That thought triggered a eureka moment for Ethan, who reflexively smacked his own forehead upon the realization. It wasn’t resurrection sickness, but something very similar. It was the effects of a powerful telepath nearby. Somebody with latent powers who either didn’t know about them or was unconscious. Either way, they were not in control of their abilities and had randomly hit Ethan. “Are you okay?” Shin asked. Ethan realized he’d been standing in silence, only to smack himself in the face, followed by more silence. The crew still had their weapons trained on the bokoblin, Shin looked concerned, and now Mistral had shown up and was doing everything she could to make the situation louder. Everything seemed suspended in time, waiting for Ethan’s response. Flexing his telepathic powers a little, Ethan transmitted a general attitude of calm, relaxing the crew of the ship. It only took a light touch, and Ethan eased back as one by one, the crew recognized the lack of danger posed by the previously drumming and yelling creature. “That raft looks about ready to become one with the ocean.” Ethan motioned towards the piece of wood he referenced as a ‘raft’. It was some kind of miracle that this bokoblin hadn’t drowned. Perhaps not a miracle. Whatever the opposite of a miracle was. Ethan honestly wasn’t sure if he had accidentally willed the crew to act, or they felt pity on their own, but within minutes they were helping the creature onto the ship, or at least making way for it. “Mistral.” Ethan felt awkward around her after the incident two years prior. “Still hanging out with your cloud I see. I uh, hope it’s doing well…” Luckily for Ethan he was saved by another impromptu headache. He shot Shin a warning glance, and as the pain consumed his mind, he could see Shin mouthing words of warning to the crew again. Time lost meaning as his head pounded, and it felt like hours later as Ethan pushed his eyes open. The ship was gone, as was the crew. The exceptions being Shin, Mistral, and the drumming shouting Bokoblin. “...I don’t know where the crew went.” Ethan preemptively offered the answer to Shin, assuming the question would be asked. “But we appear to be…” Ethan looked around the dimly lit cavern. “In a cave.” It wasn’t clear where the light sources were even coming from, nor did Ethan see any entrances or exits. He took stock of his new allies trapped with him in this unknown place. The competent, but very inexperienced Shin. The confusing oddity that was Mistral. And a loud bokoblin. “We can’t figure out where we are or where the ship went without first finding a way out of here. Let’s-” Ethan took one step forward, and felt a switch depress beneath his right foot. The sound of stone grinding against stone could be heard, and two hundred feet to his right, part of the wall had raised up. “Go through this apparent hidden door I just found.” 'Shin, Under Ground Cave, Day 1' The pass Ethan had discovered was narrow, but they all managed to squeeze though somehow. It was at the end of the passage that the party came to its first true obstacle, a massive crevasse far too wide to jump across. “Is this supposed to be one of those leap of faith type things?” Shin asked the group. “Huh, what do you mean?” Mistral responded having already crossed the fissure on her cloud. “And why are you guys just standing there, hurry up.” Shin was rendered speechless in pure marvel over Mistral’s complete lack or personal or situation awareness. Ethan spoke up to get everyone back on track, “Doubtful, there’s too much mist in the air for that. You’d be able to see any hidden ledges or magical updrafts.” The telepath effortlessly levitated himself across the crevasse, joining Mistral on the other side. “Right,” Shin said as he readied his grappling hook. Once he managed to secure it to an outcropping overhead he grabbed Bingbang and swung across. “...just a plain old hole in the ground then.” He was actually a bit disappointed over the mundanity of the situation, but that quickly faded when they got the next opening. Awaiting them was a large, horned, cyclops which threw a large boulder at them as soon as they came into view. Luckily the beast missed, but the impact shatter the rock and Ethan was forced to shield the group from the debris. “He’s unusually aggressive for a Hinox.” Ethan noted. “Hey, we all have our bad days, right? I’ll take care of this though.” Shin said as he drew the flaming sword he’d inherited from his father. He decided to stick with just the single larger sword this time around since he’d figured he’d need extra power against something as big as the Hinox. Shin made what looked like a blind charge strait for the beast but at the last second slid under its legs narrowly avoiding its fist. Thanks the ground being wet and made of smooth stone, Shin’s momentum managed to carry him all the way the far wall. The swordsman pushed himself off the ground at the last moment the kicked off the wall to launch himself back toward the Hinox. Shin swung as hard as he could, but to his shock seemed to only slash at the air. Through equal measures of luck and skill Shin managed to land on his feet despite the slick surface he was fighting on. Turning back to face the giant, he noticed a large amount of steam coming from both the creatures front and its back, likely where he would have struck. It seemed he had somehow he’d passed strait though it, but the heat of his blade was causing it to evaporate. The Hinox swung at him again but the blow was weak enough that Shin was able to block with his sword. Nevertheless, because of the lack of friction on the ground he was still forced back several feet, but once he settled his footing he noticed the creature’s fist was steaming as well. Shin had spent enough time sparring with a certain summoner in training to know exactly what he was up against. “Well that’s just great, an elemental. It’s probably made of the mist.” He briefly looked back at his friends. He knew he simply needed to evaporate the thing with a single strike, and he could do it using the Burst attack his father had taught him. There was just one problem; the others would be hit too. “Look, I need you guys back out across that crevasse. I need to boil thing guy and you’ll just get caught up in it.” Shin said as he readied himself for his next attack. 'Mistral, Caved Und Grounder, Day 1' “Look, I need you guys back out across that crevasse. I need to boil thing guy and you’ll just get caught up in it.” The bravado-y one shifted into a different stance. Definitely charging up for some sort of overblown something-or-other. This'll be fun to wat- "Wait!" Mistral shouted in a moment of realization. "Over-blown!" She squinted at the Mistox. Mist... ral. Heh. From... well, from nowhere (but also kinda from Mistral? she didn't alway get how it worked, but, hey, it worked!), a light breeze kicked up and the temperature ever so subtly changed. The Hinox of mist... evaporated in the soft wind. Mistral floated down beside Mr Sword. "Hey. I'm gonna need you back out across the... uh... crevis.. crabass... pit-thingie. Kay?" 'Shin/Under Ground Cave/Day 1' The Hinox suddenly dissipated into nothing and a second later Mistral floated down besides Shin, "Hey. I'm gonna need you back out across the... uh... crevis.. crabass... pit-thingie. Kay?" Shin stared at her with a dumb-founded expression as he tried to decipher just what the woman had said. Eventually he figured out she was the one who’d destroyed the Hinox and now she was trying to mock him. “I’ll admit that was impressive, but your trash talking still needs work.” “Good to know we have a mage with us though. All and all the place should be pretty easy to deal with,” he said as he sheathed his sword and started his way down the next tunnel. Before long the group stumbled upon another opening, this time the room was filled with pol’s voice. “Ok, we’re up against a bunch of bunny hoods. Ethan, your cave is trying to cute us to death,” Shin joked as he readied his sword and long dagger. One of the pols’ jumped at him and he easily swatted it away but oddly it seemed to have no effect. The creature leapt at him again, this time it jumped high enough that Shin was able to see the large gapping maw on it underside that could easily swallow his head whole. Instinctively he jump back to dodge but accidently ended up smashing it elbow into a stalagmite that was hidden in darkness. The sudden pain caused him to yell out, “DAMN IT!” and in the moment the pol’s voice that was attacking him simply popped like a balloon. “Ok, well, that’s thing.” 'Bingbang Bongbang, Underground Cave, Day 1' Dumbfounded and confused but refusing to question it, Bingbang Bongbang stumbled along with her new compatriots, adjusting to being away from the bright shimmering blue of the ocean and back into the darkness from which she had emerged years before. Where the Bokoblins vision had always been blurry, years of exposure to sunlight had made things so much worse and in this dim lighting she could mostly just see outlines and shapes and was mostly relying on her hearing alone. Bingbang Bongbang followed along just behind the group with a light drumroll to guide her, listening out for the echoes of the beats while occasionally mumbling incomprehensibly until she ended up in the front of the group after hearing a swarm of odd shapes rush around her and assault and overrun her companions. “WATCHA DOIN’ STOPPIN’ YA DUMBDUMBS” She screeched out in frustration, turning to face the blurry skirmish as several of the closer Pol’s burst around her. “JEEZ, YOU LOT ARE PATHETIC, FIGHTIN’ A BUNCH OF WEIRD LITTLE… WHAT EVEN ARE THOSE THINGS? WHATEVER, YOU’RE DEALING WITH A POWERFUL WIZARD RIGHT HERE SO LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH” Briefly after finishing running her mouth, which had finished off a good few Pol’s on it’s own as it boomed and echoed around the cave, Bingbang began to drum. Loudly. Her face scrunched up as she focused on destruction, pulling all of the spiteful and nasty thoughts from deep in her heart to channel the magic of hatred and death into her song. As her drumming quickly reached a cacophonous crescendo she screamed out a single ear splitting word. “DIE!!” And with that, it was done. The more resilient Pol’s voice that were able to withstand her drumming burst like bubbles with the impact of her spell, splattering the room with light droplets of gore. Pausing for a second to contemplate the power she now possessed, internally debating whether to use it responsibly or to simply obliterate the rest of her current company as a test of power. “YOU’RE WELCOME” She boasted, choosing the first option but not completely ruling out the second just yet. And with that, the tiny Bokoblin simply turned around and kept on walking into the next dark tunnel, mostly to hide the huge smug grin that had taken over her entire face while she attempted to appear humble for effect, because that’s how powerful wizards were supposed to act, right? 'Ethan, Underground Cave Dungeon, Day 1' Nothing in Ethan’s life had prepared him for the absolute absurdity that was the bokoblin. So perfectly had every single action worked out that Ethan had to assume either the creature or the drum was an ancient magic artifact. His instincts and experience told him it was probably both and neither at the same time, because the universes sense of humor was based on frustrations and impossibles. “I’m going to have to reconsider my opinions on Bokoblins.” Ethan said. “You aren’t all horribly annoying creatures, or at least you aren’t without merit even if you are horribly annoying.” He normally would have felt bad insulting someone to their face, but then realized that actually no, he wouldn’t feel bad about that in any situation. “Look out!” Shin shouted, as another Pol’s voice appeared out of nowhere. Shin’s loud warning proved sufficient in destroying the creature, sending its guts artistically across every inch of Ethans body, though focusing mostly on his face. Bingbong seemed even more gleeful than before, clearly taking the credit for each and every kill. Mistral merely watched silently. Ethan couldn’t say it was the first time guts had been strewn across his body, but none of his prior experiences lessened the vomit inducing impact of his present situation. Briefly emotionally defeated, he somewhat lazily wiped his face clean and cleared his throat, trying to mentally reset. “You know what? No. I’m not doing this. We’re skipping to the good part.” Ethan didn’t feel like explaining what he meant, snapping his fingers, teleporting the entire group deeper into the dungeon. It was a risk given that he could easily be teleporting them into solid rock, or into more weird bunny head monsters. But nothing worse than that because nothing worse than weird bunny head monsters existed in all of reality. Thankfully, brutal cave wall death was not in the cards, and they all seamlessly appeared in a new much nicer looking location. It was at a point where the rocky cavern walls shifted from uneven stone to deliberately crafted Temple walls. “Follow me.” Ethan tried turning his tone to something more serious, which was probably a waste of time given that seventy percent of his body was still covered in murdered Pol’s Voice slime. He briefly pondered a scenario where armies of Pol’s Voices went up against renowned opera singers, resoundingly defeated on the first note. The imagery was very effective at upending his attempts at being serious or focused. “At last, here we are!” Ethan pushed open a set of deceivingly light iron doors, leading the group into a vast brightly lit chamber. The walls and ceiling were covered by a continuous mural showing major events of history, so densely packed it was difficult to focus upon it. “You!” A scorched voice pulled the group's attention to the back of the chamber. “You are too late, Empress Vera has already claimed this shrine’s treasure.” Ethan knew the voice. This was an ancient warrior known only as Volga. A dragon of fire who this world had never known. This Volga was an outsider, a lost soul from some other world beyond the borders of the universe. He was one of many rogue agents Vera employed and deployed, enticing them with treasure and occasionally threats. All just to advance her agenda from the shadows just as aggressively as her frontline soldiers. “Well team - I’m gonna call you all ‘team’ now. Anyway, well team…” Ethan coughed, interrupting his attempt to be smooth and cool. “...Fuck it.” He threw a hand forward, breaking out into a run towards Volga. It was not a move that any of his allies had expected, but Volga certainly had. He threw his body back, winding up into a massive roar as his human form shifted into that of a dragon. His one little trick, besides just being really powerful of course. “You guys ever fought a dragon man before? Yes? No? Well here’s your chance if you haven’t or-” Ethan was knocked down to the ground as Volga whipped his tail, attempting to impale him. Volga’s tale, already rather pointy and dangerous, now looked to have some kind of metal attachment. Jagged and menacing, his tail seemed to effectively have become a harpoon launcher. A fact Ethan only realized as a spike buried itself in the ground next to his head. “Well, don’t just stand there, get him!” Ethan yelled, rolling out of the way of another strike, inviting the group to join the battle. 'Shin, Underground Cave, Day 1' A harsh gust of wind tore through the chamber and forced Volga away from Ethan. “We don’t have time to play Mr. Dragon. We have a thingy to do.” Mistral said having clearly misread the Draconic Warrior’s intent. The now irate Volga reverted to his humanoid form, charged at Mistral and struck her square in the chest with his blazing pike. The woman slammed hard against the chamber wall, but a second later managed to stumble back to her feet. In what looked liked a struck of dumb luck, Volga’s pike had struck a small leather pouch Mistral was wearing around her neck. Unfortunately the attack had severed the strap, sending the pouch flying to the far side of the room, making sure she wouldn’t be so lucky again. Mistral extended her staff just long enough to reach Volga and struck him lightly on the head, “Bad Dragon! That’s not how we play.” “THIS ISN’T A GAME!” Volga roared. He moved to strike Mistral down once and for all but found his pike had snagged on something. Looking down he saw his weapon had been snared by a grappling hook. Shin pulled on the grapple’s rope as hard as he could while goading on the Dragon Knight, “so I totally get why you’d be annoyed right now, but I can’t let you kill her. Why don’t you fight me instead?” Volga smirked with a menacing glee, “you better not disappoint me boy.” He yanked hard on his weapon to pull it free, but instead of losing his grip Shin used to force of the tug to launch himself at his opponent. Shin took a swing at Volga’s face with his long dagger but the Dragon managed to dodge with minimal effort. Shin landed and quickly attack again by launching all of his throwing knives at his foe, but Volga effortlessly deflected them by twirling his pike with blinding speed. Volga then jump into the air and slammed his weapon down. Shin had managed to dodge but the blow sent a small spout of flames erupting toward his face. He shielded himself on instinct leaving an opening for Volga swing his weapon around strike Shin square in the gut. The blow sent him flying up and back into a part of the mural depicting a dragoon woman fighting an argorok over several ships. He’d managed spin around in mid air allowing him to impact feet first so he could kick off and fly back at Volga at high speed. He drew his short sword mid flight and used both of his weapons to slash the dragon in the chest. While the attack left an X-shaped gash in the Dragon Knight’s chest, his thick armor like hide meant it was merely superficial. Shin on the other hand, was momentarily staggered from his hard landing. “A disappointment after all,” Volga mocked, as he raised his pike to strike Shin down but paused when his back was hit with a sudden painful stinging. Ethan had taken advantage of Volga’s tunnel vision and attacked the dragon with Shin’s discarded throwing knives. Which, thanks to his psionic abilities, were able to penetrate much deeper into dragon’s flesh then they would have if thrown by a human arm. Volga turned and breathed a jet of fire in reprisal, but the flames merely lick impotently against the Ethan’s telekinetic barrier. Shin, not one to waist a perfectly good distraction, got back on his feet and swung for the dragon head. His sword struck true, slicing off the tip of Volga’s left horn. Volga stopped his assault dead as he felt the place where his point once was. After a short paused he finally roared out, “ENOUGH!” The fiery warrior transformed back into a dragon and flew to the top of the chamber. He began to charge a large ball of fire in his mouth, but Shin knew what was coming and though he knew how to deal with it. He took a wide stance and held his sword to his back. The blade started to glow with a blue aura, then orange, as Shin flooded it the simple magic he knew how to harness. Ethan suddenly realized what Shin was planning on doing but before he could warn him against it, Volga had already fired his blast. Shin unleashed his sword spin but instead of being deflected, the massive ball of fire exploded. It was only Mistral’s unexpected knowledge about fighting dragons that saved Shin from turning into Barbeque. She realized Shin had confused the way you fight a dragon with the way you fight a wizard and knocked him clear with sudden gust of hurricane force winds and rain. Unfortunately, her half thought out rescue slammed Shin head first into a nearby wall. Everything became a sudden blur to Shin. His vision had glazed over due to impact and the only thing he could hear was dull thumping that he hoped was the Bokoblin’s drum. He stumbled around as he struggled to regain composure but was far to dizzy to get back on his feet. Through either fate or serendipity his hand landed on the leather pouch that Mistral had previously been wearing around her neck and in that moment he started to feel ever so slightly refreshed. Something was radiating from inside the bag and to Shin it like he was holding on to the warm soothing rays of the sun itself. He heard the voice of a man that seemed to have a motherly comfort to it, “I think you could use some help.” “What?” Shin mumbled as his eyes came back into focus. Suddenly the leather pouch ripped apart as the small metal shard it contained formed into the Legendary Sword of Light. “What the hell is this doing here!?” It was information overload, he’d heard of the Sword of Light from the old stories but couldn’t fathom how it ended up in this cave. His mind raced through every possibility he could conceive at the moment. Was it here the whole time, or did Bingbong somehow summon it. No, wait, that pouch it was in belong to Mistral. Why the hell did Mistral of all people have it? No, that didn’t make any sense; he preferred to believe it was summoned by the half-pint’s drumming. Thinking about it was becoming far to frustrating considering his head was still pounding from his impact with the wall. Instead he decided to focus on his newly found opportunity, namely that he now had a magic weapon that wasn’t fire element. This meant he could use the trump card his father taught him and bring this fight to an end. Shin fired a sword beam at Volga’s head to draw his attention away from the others. “I’m not done yet.” Volga shrugged off the intentionally weak attack, “You’ve confused you’re stubbornness with skill, but very well. I’ll grant you the death you so desperately desire.” The dragon lunged at Shin with his pike but that was exactly what the young swordsman was hoping for. “TRUE BLADE!” Shin yelled as he swung down leaving a crescent energy blade in his sword path. The tip of Volga’s Dragonbone Pike slammed into the deadly magic arc causing it to split apart then shatter. The Dragon Knight’s eyes widened, he’d seen this attack before used by a half crazed man in a cloak that briefly accompanied the time mage. He knew what kind of destructive power it possessed and more importantly he knew he couldn’t dodge it. “STRIKE!” Shin yelled as he swung up along the blade of light magic, but then nothing happened. The torrent of violent energy Shin was expecting hadn’t been unleashed and instead the crescent energy blade had shattered. “What?” Volga wasted no time in putting distance between himself and his opponents. He looked down at his broken weapon and then at the four opponents he still had to combat. He may have been saved by the young one’s error but he knew odds were still against him. “I stand by what I said earlier, swordsman. You were a disappointment. However, I suspect in time that won’t be the case. I’ll wait for that day.” A swirl of flames surrounded Volga and when it died down he’d vanished leaving only Shin’s knives behind. “Damn it, why did that fai-” Shin words were cut off as he suddenly vomited up his breakfast. “Ok, I think I have a concussion.” 'Ethan, Underground Cave, Day 1' Ethan somewhat roughly grabbed onto Shin’s head to examine it. “Yep definitely a concussion.” he lazily let go, causing Shin to drop against the ground. “Well at least you gained the respect of an insane fire dragon man. That’s something. Anyway, look-” Ethan gestured to a small glowing treasure chest that had magically appeared in before the group. “Isn’t that convenient?” He reached out to open the chest, and it vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a glowing pool of shimmering silvery liquid. Ethan pulled his hand back in confusion. “Uh...yeah, convenient.” Shin commented. Ethan couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or his concussion getting worse. “I...I don’t...Bingbang can you cast a spell on this pool? Any spell.” Ethan had no other ideas, and figured it was worth a shot. 'Mistral/Underground/One' Mistral shook her head to clear some of the fuzz from all the smoke and heat. What an ill-behaved draconis! She wrinkled her nose and snorted some of the sulfur-stench out her nostrils. Why, she hadn't seen such a rude, untrained scale-baby since that hornsnaggled argarok... Now she was a handful! All rawr and grr and burny-burny. Of course her mother had told her not to bother and just get rid of the thing before it could rampage through some cottages, or something like that? Mom was weird... Mistral, though, couldn't just give up! NO GUFF. And now, of course Kitty was such a good dragon! Hadn't seen her in a while, though. Maybe a visit back home was in order... Bise jealously rubbed against her side, snagging her attention back to the cavern. "Oh, don't worry, you're still the best ride for flying!" she said, hugging her dear best friend. Wait, the fighting was over? "Hey!" she shouted, "Where'd the dragon-baby go?" She swung up onto Bise once more, sitting crossed-leg on the cloud, and floated over to Ethan and Shin. "Wow, Shin. You kinda got a bump, there... Does it hurt?" She leaned over to look down at the lump in question, and saw a pool of squirmedy shinedy silverdy. "Ooooh what's that?" She bent forward, stretching an arm through Bise and poking the stuff. 'Bingbang Bongbang, Underground Cave, Day 1' Upon hearing the Dragon Knight fall, Bingbang Bongbang stepped away from the rock she had chosen to crouch behind for improved acoustics and no other reason. Clearly her quiet song of support and healing had greatly aided her allies in their battle and she felt a swelling of pride in their victory. “I… I don’t… Bingbang can you cast a spell on this pool? Any spell.” Ethan asked as she stepped towards the group of confused faces surrounding a strange metallic liquid. She spent a moment in silent contemplation as the cogs whirred in her dense skull, ruling out her powerful killing spell, trying to come up with something worth summoning, but eventually settling on what seemed like the obvious solution. She stepped forward confidently and cracked her knuckles, “DON’T WORRY MORTALS, I’VE GOT THIS” And with that, she lay beside the pool and swiftly began to lap at it with her tongue, drinking as much as she could, knowing that every liquid based problem she had come up against in her past had always been solved by drinking it. "Hey!" "What it taste like?" Mistral asked. 'Ethan, Cave of Surprises and Wonder, Day 1' “Whoa whoa, maybe don’t do that!” Ethan yelled, but it was too late. Bingbang had already drank most of the liquid. She’d be a top-shelf participant in a drinking competition, without a doubt. “What it taste like?” Mistral couldn’t help herself. “Don’t answer that.” Ethan snapped. “Actually what does it taste like-” Ethan’s indecisive curiosity was swiftly stifled by yet another challenger. “Foolish mortals! It is I, the master fire mage Dracon Livarius, who shall-aggggh!” Before Ethan had much chance to analyze the budget-level Volga, Bingbang had demonstrated why her solution was in fact the superior one. Stretching and expanding outwards, she grew many times her original size, head just shy of the cavernous ceiling. How convenient that the liquid happened to be in a tall open chamber. Joyously, Bingbang picked up the screaming man self identifying as Dracon, biting down on his midsection and cutting him nearly in two. Spitting out the foul mess immediately, a horrendous pile of mangled flesh and bone lay before them. Ethan wasn’t sure if it was what she had meant to do, or some compulsion brought on by the liquid. Either way, it only served to increase the levels of her ego, even as the size increase wore off and she returned to her original height and weight. “I’m done now, you can turn off the ride!” Ethan shouted at no one. “Let’s get the crap out of here. Bingbang, can you-” Before he could ask, Bingbang slammed her drum but once. It felt like his eardrums were going to explode from the sound. It was so loud he couldn’t rationally react, shutting his eyes instead of covering his ears because how scrambled his brain felt. That liquid had been something very powerful, and Ethan was shocked it hadn’t killed Bingbang right away. Her strike wasn’t without purpose, as the reverberations weakened a fake wall, revealing the way forward. A drumming bokoblin on a magical hot streak of death and destruction, that was the force keeping the group alive. What a world. “Believe it or not, I’ve actually been here before.” Ethan said as they passed through the newly created doorway. “To this staircase.” He said. Before the group was a single option, a staircase wrapping itself around the walls of the room, twisting upwards seemingly endlessly. “It’s exhausting, and-” Bingbang slammed her drum two more times, which was followed by awkward silence, then more awkward silence, and then a series of strange mechanical clicking sounds. The staircase above them was yanked inside the wall, leaving them all standing in what was now essentially a mineshaft. And then the clicking got faster, and then Ethan felt and heard an explosive force beneath the floor. With literal fanfare going - the room had filled with sounds of trumpets like one would find on ancient battlefields - the floor revealed itself to be an elevator and rocketed upwards. “Maybe this wasn’t the one I came to.” Ethan said. “So anyway, let’s all hope this doesn’t end with us crushed against the ceiling.” 'Shin, Under Ground Cave, Afternoon 1' Among the several symptoms of a concussion includes multiple forms of visual impairment. Shin counted his blessing that he was current under the effect of such and impairment as he had a fairly good idea of what just happened with Bing Bong and was more than happy to not have that image burned into his mind. It was the other symptoms he could do without. For example, nausea, which when combined with blurred vision, a dark cave and an unexpected elevator ride led to him vomiting again. “Please let this thing go to some place sunny,” Shin thought aloud. The sun wouldn’t heal him directly but he knew it would at least rejuvenate him a bit. Suddenly the elevator came to a stop, and unfortunately they were still in a dark cavern. “Hmm... the lift-y thing is broke. Guess we have to float up now.” Misty said to the limited comprehension of the already confused Shin. Ethan quickly filled in the gaps for his injured friend, “The elevators stuck in the middle of the shaft. Mistral thinks we can all fly up, for some reason.” Mistral wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling Ethan was being dismissive over her suggestion. So she explained things slowly and loudly so the boys would understand, “I have Bise, psychic boy can float himself and Bingy with mind powers, and sword boy can use the glowy sword wings.” “I can use the WHAT!?” Shin yelled. Ethan again acted as the translator, “The Sword of Light can be used to create wings. She doesn’t realize it has to be taught. Though I’m surprised you don’t know about it. You’re father didn’t tell you?” Shin confusion grew by the second, “Why would my dad know anything about a legendary sword? Better yet why does Mistral know anything about this sword? Hell, why did she have it to being with!?” “Hold on, you mean you don’t know who she-” Ethan was cut off when four figures fell unto the elevator form previously unseen openings in the wall. Shin jumped to his feet and readied himself the best his could. He was bit nervous trying to defend himself when it could only see blurry figures but as long as he could follow their movement he’d manage. “Ok I heard bone and metal. I’m guessing Stalfos Knights?” Mistral was beside herself in laughter. “No,” Ethan answered, “Darknuts, dead darknuts.” Misty’s mocking continued “Shin-boy’s scared of some dead monsters.” “Damn it, I can’t see!” Shin barked back. Ethan interjected, “So... I think we were supposed to fight these things to make the elevator move again, but they sat here for so long they died. It’s really shoddy dungeon crafting.” “So we’re stuck,” Shin sighed as he plopped down on the ground. “I wonder if I can teach myself how to use the wing things after all.” A mere second later a strange chime rang out and the elevator started moving again. Shin could sense Misty grinning at him, “not, a single, word.” “Shin-boy’s so uptight. Reminds me of someone, but I forgot who.” Mistral mused to herself as she laid back on her cloud. Ethan quietly chucked to himself, “I guess they’re both clueless,” he thought, “I should wait until later to tell them. Shin’s probably at his limit right now.” Several minutes later the party arrival on the surface, where to Shin’s relief it was a nice sunny day. He took a moment to soak in the sunlight, though it was short live as he suddenly heard a number of small children screaming. Fortunately, enough of his eyesight had come back that he was able to see what had happened. They’d popped up on the outskirts of Windfall Island, and a bunch of kids that were play at the shore caught sight of Bing. “Damn it,” Shin grabbed the bokoblin and the group ran behind the bomb shop at the edge of the island. “Ok, I don’t think the townsfolk will appreciate a bokoblin walking casually though there streets. So, either either A: we tie her up and claim we captured her or-” before Shin could continue Mistral and wacked him in head with her pole. “OW! God DAMN IT! What is it with you and causing my brain trauma!?” Shin screamed “No tying up young maidens! It’s creepy.” Mistral replied. “OR B!” Shin continued, “we get her a disguise. Something like those things long sleeved kimonos and veiled hats noble girls wear. Which I guess I what we’re going to have to do even it if mean playing into her delusions of grand-“ Shin was cut off again by other swing from Misty’s staff, but this time he managed to catch it before it struck. “No destroying a young maiden’s dreams either.” Misty lectured Shin angrily thrusted his wallet into Mistral’s hands, “just go buy the cloths.” “Ethan, if anything kills me on this quest of yours it’ll be that woman.” Shin said after Mistral left. Ethan nodded, “Yeah, Misty can be... difficult. On that note, you do realize you just gave her your wallet?” Shin took a second to let what was said sink in, “...damn it...” __FORCETOC__